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Glite Dictionary
to sell down

to sell down

5.9
To find buyers for part of your shares or investments so you own less
  • phrasal verb
  • /sɛl daʊn/
translation icon : desinvertir
  • But I have been, I have been trading out, I have been selling down a little bit of my stake in Airbnb, Amazon and Apple.

OK, so Pinterest has sold down, which makes them more attractive.

Examples

  • Many investors choose to sell down a portion of their shares to free up cash for new opportunities.

  • OK, so Pinterest has sold down, which makes them more attractive.

    Meet Kevin

  • He decided to sell down his holdings in the technology sector to minimize risk during market fluctuations.

  • After careful consideration, she opted to sell down her investment in the real estate market after years of steady gains.

Synonyms

to divest
vsto sell down
  • Specialized
10 7.5

Sell off an asset or part of a business

involves disposing of a smaller portion to lower risk or obtain cash
to disinvest
vsto sell down
  • Specialized
1 8.0

To sell shares or assets to reduce putting money into something

focuses on disposing of only a portion to reduce risk or raise cash
to deleveraging
vsto sell down
  • Specialized
8.1

To reduce debt by paying off loans or selling things you own

uses disposing of a specific portion mainly to raise cash or reduce exposure

Antonyms

to hold on
72 1.6

To keep something instead of selling or giving it away

How Much

to sell off
57 3.5
to sell down
5.9
to trim
95 2.6
to hold
∞ 1.3

Surface Forms

sell down infinitive
selling down present participle
sells down third person singular
sold down past
sold down past participle

Morphology

sell + down

The verb 'sell' combined with the particle 'down' conveys a reduction in holdings, so a learner who knows both words can reasonably infer it means to sell in order to lower or reduce assets. However, the specific financial nuance — that it often means selling only a portion rather than fully divesting — is a usage-level detail that may not be fully predictable without exposure, so it is not fully transparent.

Etymology

Sell down comes from a simple image: you sell pieces from a pile so it goes down. That's why it means 'to sell a part of your shares or investments' to make your position smaller or to get money.